PAKISTAN AMERICAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

PABA NEWS Issue No. 19 July , 2016

“It is a great pleasure to have the chance to address the Pakistani-American Community in Fairfax County, Vir-ginia, as well as other readers around the nation for the celebration of the Holy Muslim festival of Eid.

As Chairman to the Board of Supervisors for Fairfax County, I am very proud that our County is home to such a culturally diverse population. All around the County, residents, visitors, employees, or businesses are elebrating Eid, highlighting the beautiful diversity in our region through celebration and coming together as a community.

I am proud to have the Pakistan American Business Association (PABA) here in Fairfax County. PABA’s mission, to play an economic role between Paki-stan and the United States, is integral to promoting the continued success of the Pakistani American community within the United States, and also to Fair-fax County and our region. Without organization like PABA and residents from different parts of the world, Fairfax County would not be where it is today.”

On behalf of PABA and my family, I would like to extend heartiest Eid greetings to you all. I take this opportuni-ty to express my pro-found gratitude to all

those who helped us, and helping us, in taking PABA to new heights. With your continuous support, we are finally near to holding the long-awaited International Convention and Trade Show in Washington D.C. in 2017, which will bring Pakistani and Ameri-can companies together for doing busi-ness. Such interaction will help foster busi-ness relations between the two coun-tries. We need all your help and support in executing this mega-project. Please join us and become partners for our great journey toward the success. I would also like to urge the Pakistani American community to remember their brothers and sisters in their motherland who are unable to celebrate the holy festival of Eid.

EID Brings Message of Love, Unity : Pakistan Ambassador “Eid brings us a chance to promote our venerated reli-gious and cultural values and traditions in the multicul-tural and diverse American society,” Paksitan’s Ambas-sador to the United States, Jalil Abbas Jilani said in a message to Pakistani American community across the county.

“It would be a great pleasure for me and my family to join our Pakistani-American friends and their families on

this festive occasion,” Ambassador Jilani said in his Eid message to Pakistani American Business Association.

The ambassador said Eid was a special opportunity to strengthen our bonds with our families and the larger Pakistani American and Muslim communi-ties.

He asked the community to pray and strive for peace and prosperity in the mother land and remember those back home who lack means to celebrate.

“Disseminating a message of love, unity and brotherhood with everybody around us would be the real reward of the blessed month of Ramadan and auspicious moment of Eid.”

Sharon Bulova

Fairfax County Chairman Greets Pakistani Americans on Eid

M. Siddique Sheikh

Chairman PABA

“In anticipation of Eid al-Fitr, I want to take just a moment to send my greetings to the Paki-stani community in the First District, the Commonwealth, and the United States. Eid is a time for celebration, prayer, and perhaps most importantly, charity. As the month of fasting draws to a close, Eid reminds us all that there is hope in renewal. Here in the United States, we recognize our obligation to serve one another, to reach out to those who are less fortunate and elevate them. Those same themes of sacrifice and generosity are celebrated during Eid. This is a time that reminds us all—both Muslims and non-Muslims—that we

are in this together. In a way, that emphasis on generosity is what being American is all about. This country was founded on the idea that each of us can live, think, believe, worship, and exist as we see fit, and still live peacea-bly and support the principles of a democratic society. There’s no place for that without charity. This project we call the United States has been a suc-cess because its people have committed themselves to the notion that we can each make a difference in the lives of our friends, our families, and our neighbors. It is tempting, at times, for us to look at what is happening around the world and hang our heads and wonder whether we have what it takes to face the chal-lenges on our horizon. It’s tempting to give in to the forces of division. But you and I know that if we stand together, anything is possible. There is no threat, no test, no obstacle that we can’t overcome if we work as one. It is our similarities, not our differences, that define us. And we can and will unite be-cause we—all of us— believe in sacrifice, in generosity, and in individual liberty. The role that you have played here in the First District and the Commonwealth is not to be overlooked. Your hard work and determination, coupled with your passion for serving your fellow man, have made Virginia a better, safer, and more prosperous place. I thank you for that. Your contributions as business and community leaders are invaluable, and I offer you my sincere gratitude. The Pakistani American Business Association (PABA) and organizations like it have also gone above and beyond to channel and further develop the skills of millions of people in a way that serves both the individual and the community. PABA has long embraced the objectives of Pakistanis and Americans throughout the United States and the world. It’s an-other example of how much strength there is in unity. In closing, let me just say that America values the relationships we have with our Pakistani friends. During this time of charity, let’s celebrate the progress, pluralism, and acceptance that strengthen the ties between us and help bring us clos-er together. I look forward toward a better world for all of us.”

America Values Relationship With Pakistani Friends

Rob Wittman

PABA Chairman M. Siddique Sheikh with Congressman Rob Wittman and former Congressmen Tom Davis and Frank Wolf at a reception .

Rob Wittman was first elected to serve the First Congressional District of Virginia - America's First District - in

December of 2007. He was re-elected for his fourth full term in the House of Representatives in November 2014 .

GMU Partnership with University of Karachi

By Mark J. Rozell

The general tasks of the project was to help improve the social science research capabilities among the faculty and doc-toral candidates, and to help establish a public policy program on the management of megacities in the School of Administrative Sciences and Public Administration. Dean Khalid Iraqi, School of Administrative Sciences and Public Administration is the primary contact and lead for the University of Karachi (UoK) with Dr. Shah Jamal Alam serving as the day-to-day coordinator. The project was formally launched in Karachi in Augustin 2013 with a focus to implement the program which included education and training activities at the UoK. In June 2014, a group of eight faculty and graduate students visited George Mason University for one month to par-ticipate in a customized education program focused on development of advanced social science research methods, data base man-agement, and survey design, management, execution and analysis. Throughout 2014 and the first half of 2015, the project focused on research methods and set up a survey questionnaire to be administered to residents in Karachi regarding their views on problems with infrastructure, safety and security, management and service delivery. A regionally stratified random sample of nearly 2000 households was completed in early 2016 followed by several months of data cleaning and analysis. Along with day- to- day local project management at UoK and regular email and video conference contact between UoK and Mason, Witte traveled to Karachi in May, 2015 to participate in the develop of the survey instrument. He again visited the University in May this year to aid in empirical analysis of the survey data. The results serve as the empirical basis that the faculty and doctoral candidates at UoK are using to prepare their research papers for a capstone megacities conference to be held in Karachi in September which will highlight problems, issues and initiatives in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and the country’s commercial hub which is home to more than 22 million people. The topics addressed in these papers are: Youth Employment and Vocational training Transport Infrastructure, mobility and Accessibility Civic Engagement Among Youth Healthcare Service and Infrastructure The conference will feature research presentations by faculty and doctoral candidates from the School of Administrative Sciences at the UoK. A selection of faculty and doctoral candidates at UoK will visit the George Mason University campus in the last week of July to finalize their analyses and preparation of the papers for presentation in September, 2016.

“I wish to thank PABA Chairman M. Siddique Sheikh for his leadership of the Chief’s

Council on Diversity Recruitment; a role he graciously accepted in July 2013. Mr. Sheikh has

brought members of PABA, diverse community leaders, corporate business managers, professors

and their students to the Council’s membership.

At the Council’s most recent meeting on May 31st, we shared with attendees how increas-

ing our community engagement through the Chief’s Council on Diversity Recruitment and Chair-

man Sharon Bulova’s Communities of Trust Committee has enabled us to boost diversity among

our sworn and civilian employees, as well as our volunteer programs. We have expanded our

Police Explorer Posts from one to three, thereby allowing us to deepen our engagement endeav-

ors with youth residing in culturally diverse communities.

The Fairfax County Police Department has and will continue to proactively change certain policies and training

related to the use of force. The re-engineering of our academy recruit training to provide basic principles of constitutional

policing, police legitimacy, and crisis intervention awareness within the first week of training is paramount to preserving the

sanctity of human life.

Policy changes in many areas now mandate supervisory and command response to critical events to provide over-

sight; while we are completing comprehensive training of all sworn personnel in critical decision-making skills sustainable

on an annual training basis. Crisis Intervention Team training of our Patrol officers works in conjunction with Fairfax

County’s Diversion First Program to divert eligible persons suffering from mental crisis episodes away from jail and to the

providers serving at the Merrifield Center.

I thank all of you, whether residing in the Fairfax community or in a neighboring jurisdiction for engaging with the

men and women of the Police Department to achieve our vision of preventing and fighting crime, increasing a culture of

safety by valuing the preservation of the sanctity of life for all, and keeping pace with urbanization.

I wish to extend to PABA’s members of the Muslim faith among this publication’s local and national membership

EID Mubarak, and all of the happiness it brings. “

Fairfax County Police Chief Extends Eid Greetings to PABA Family

Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr.

BB&T, the 8th largest bank in the United States, has taken several initiatives in recent years to cater to the needs of multicultural communities and serve them in the best possi-ble way. BB&T Multicultural Banking operates more than 500 Multicultural banking Centers that employ and serve the diverse communities. BB&T Associates speak 86 lan-guages and have origins from over 100 countries. One such latest initiative is a financial education program designed to reach multicultural communities within the United States. The goal of “Bank on your Success” program is “sharing knowledge for a better direction”. The financial program covers three critical areas: (1) Banking Basics; (2) Family Budget-ing; and (3) Becoming a Homeowner. This program will help members of the multicul-

tural communities attain a stronger and more vibrant financial future. We are committed to providing financial education to as many people as possible through the program which has been designed to help members of the diverse communities as they progress to financial success. BB&T works with local faith, community and student organizations to invite these groups to Bank on Your Success sessions. Participants are given a workbook and tools they can use at the session and in the future for further reference and development. The Bank recently held a session on its financial education program at the campus of West Virginia University to help the international students about the banking tool in the United States. The program was highly appreciated for its im-pact on the lives of students not just during their studies but also in their professional life if they choose to stay and work in the United States.

The Multicultural Banking also plans to hold a program at the campus of the University of North Carolina in Wilmington. “We support the ‘Bank on Your Success” initiative on campus and in the Wilmington community,” wrote Michael B Wilheim, Associate Vice Chancellor, Inter-national Program, University of North Carolina in a letter to Mr. Lobo. The Bank is also working with Catholic Charities Dio-cese of Charlotte in their Cultural Orientation Program in educating people about budgeting and other banking tools.

BB&T Designs Financial Education Program For Multicultural Communities

The author, Luis G. Lobo, is Executive Vice President of BB&T Multicultural banking, North Carolina. He is the recipient of 2015 Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Luis G. Lobo

PARTNERS

Universal Air & Vacuum

Services

Former Congressman Tom Davis hosted a fundraiser in Vienna to introduce Maryland

Governor Larry Hogan, which was attended by select group of people including businessmen

and academia. Chairman Pakistan American

Business Association, Mr. M. Siddique Sheikh

also attended.

Mr. Davis introduced the PABA Chair-

man to Governor Hogan. Mr. Sheikh expressed

his desire for a meeting to discuss matters relat-

ing to Pakistani American community in Mary-

land. Governor Hogan said he would be delight-

ed to meet him at the mutually convenient date.

Mr. Sheikh also briefly informed the

governor about PABA’s plan to host an Interna-

tional Convention and Trade Show in Washing-

ton DC.

He also told him about how PABA is

playing an important role in bringing private sec-

tors of Pakistan and the United States. Governor

Hogan appreciated PABA’s efforts in promoting

the cause of Pakistani American community.

PABA Chairman Attends Fundraising Reception for Governor Hogan

Fairfax County Police Chief, Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., and PABA Chairman M. Siddique Sheikh, Chairman Police Chief Diversity Council, photographed with member of the council at a recent meeting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMNo8r4LmdI

* ADB to provide $300 loan for Pakistan’s Public Sector Asian Development Bank will provide $300 million for Public Sector Enterprises Reform Program in Pakistan. The loan will help the government to improve performance of the pub-lic sector entities.

*World Bank Provides $500 Million for Business Promotion World Bank will provide $500 million in Credit Support to be spent on improving the business environment and en-hance fiscal management. The initiative will help the South Asian country attract the much needed foreign investment in its private sector. The Bank support is to assist Pakistan in carrying out the critical economic structural reforms initi-ated by the present Government to accelerate and reinvigorate inclusive growth in Pakistan.

* MSCI Upgrades Pakistan to Emerging Markets Status MSCI Inc., a US-based provider of equity, fixed income and hedge fund stock market indexes, has upgraded Pakistani from Frontier Markets to Emerging Markets, following the country’s strong economic growth and reforms to facilitate private sector. Pakistan was relegated to Frontier Markets in 2008. The upgrade could help Pakistan attract $475 mil-lion of inflows by the middle of the next year.

* First Pakistani Bank to Open its Branch in China Habib Bank Limited will become the first Pakistani bank to open its branch in China this year in the Western Chinse city of Urumqi, the capital of Muslim dominated Xinjiang autonomous region. The soft launch of the project will be held on August 14. The establishment of bank will facilitate the flow of capital for the mega projects that Pakistan is undertaking with the help Chinese support. For helping the Pakistani bank, China has reduced the minimum asset re-quirement by $5 billion – from $20 billion to $15 billion. Pakistani banks can also open their businesses in RMB (Chinese currency) after one year of their business in China.

* Pakistan Seeks Transit Trade, PTA with Tajikistan Pakistan is seeking to conclude bilateral arrangements of transit trade and Preferential Trade Agreement with Tajiki-stan this year in order to generate massive trade and investment activity between Pakistan and Central Asian states. Pa-kistan has provided a draft of the proposed PTA which will now be discussed by the two countries. Pakistan is current-ly working on a project with Tajikistan to export 1,000 MW of electricity. The project is named CASA-1000.

*Italy Provides 20 million Euros for Pakistan’s Olive Project Italy will provide 20 million Euros in technical assistance for a Pakistani project to grow olive in the country. This pro-ject is aimed at olive a major contributor in edible oil by providing access to large population of the country to healthy olive oil. Pakistan has huge potential for olive cultivation particularly in its Potohar region, tribal area and in the South-western Balochistan province.

*Pakistan Announce Relief in Budget Pakistan has reduced tariff slabs from five to four in its new budget that began July 1. Corporate tax rate has also been reduced to 31% for Tax Year 2017. The government has also exempted sales tax on import of laptops and PCs.

*Pakistan’s Economy Grew 4.7 percent in 2015-16 Pakistan’s economy posted 4.71 percent growth in the fiscal year 2015-16 that ended on June 30, the highest in eight years. The country’s foreign exchange reserves have also reached an all-time of $21.6 billion, enough to finance over five months of country’s import bill. The country’s industrial sector grew by 6.8 percent as against the target of 6.4 per-cent. Construction sector rose by an impressive 13.10 percent.

Pakistan Briefs

The Pakistan American Business Association, commonly known as PABA, was established in

1986 to bring together business people of diverse occupations, providing opportunities for

them to flourish and help others grow.

Through our board, active members and leadership in the United States of American and in

Pakistan, PABA has been able to achieve many successes at local, national and international

level. PABA nurtures business opportunities between Pakistan and the United States and enables its members to

develop new businesses and promotes dialogue between Pakistani and American government officials. we have

don

PABA AT A GLANCE

Local, state, national and international conventions

Job fairs for aspiring business people

Relief efforts for Katrina Hurricane and 2010 Pakistan Flood victims

International Trade Conference in Pakistan in 2004

Raised Funds for Shaukat Khanum Hospital in 1995

And much more,,,,,,,,,

PABA To Host International Trade Show in Washington D.C. Soon

Pakistan American Business Association 9302 Old Keene Mill Road Suite B Burke, VA 22015 - 4278

www.pabausa.org

What we have done

Editorial Team :

M. Siddique Sheikh

Shakeel Tufail

Augustine Anthony

Khalid Noufal